Castorice's brand-new ID card not only opened the door to her legal survival in this apocalyptic world, but also stirred surging waves in Luo Li's heart.
75% affection! He had exceeded the target!
The glaring number on the system panel was like a shot in the arm, richly rewarding Luo Li's days of anxiety, planning, and little "schemes."
Only two seemingly simple yet incredibly delicate conditions remained before the Path awakening he had dreamed of-a ten-second embrace and a heartfelt blessing freely offered by Castorice.
With a legal identity, Castorice seemed to have shed an invisible shackle as well.
She remained quiet, but much of the confusion and unease she had worn upon arriving had faded, replaced by a desire to explore her new life.
She began asking Luo Li more questions about this world, and even started trying to take walks around the neighborhood alone (of course, only after Luo Li's countless reminders and on the condition that she remained reachable by phone).
That evening, after finishing his stream, Luo Li did not immediately collapse onto the sofa and scroll through his phone as usual. Instead, he took a deep breath and walked over to Castorice, who sat by the window, gazing absently at the eternally dark-red night sky outside.
Outside the window, the city's neon lights took on bizarre hues through the Blood-Erosion Clouds. Occasionally, the beam of a patrol's searchlight swept across the distance, slicing through the heavy curtain of night.
"What are you looking at?"
Luo Li asked softly, sitting down in the chair beside her.
Castorice did not turn, still gazing outside. Her ethereal voice carried a barely perceptible trace of reflection. "Your night sky... although it's shrouded in ominous clouds, the lights below are so dense, so tenacious.
"At night in Amphoreus, you can see the stars clearly, but on the ground... there are often only scattered campfires."
There was no comparison in her tone, only pure observation and description.
Luo Li followed her gaze, something stirring in his heart. This was a good opening.
"Yes. Even in an apocalypse like this, everyone's trying hard to stay alive, doing everything they can to leave traces of their existence."
He paused, his tone becoming especially earnest as he looked intently at Castorice's profile. "Castorice, I... have a favor to ask of you."
At his words, Castorice finally turned toward him, her violet eyes looking especially deep in the dim light. "What is it?"
Luo Li's heart began racing uncontrollably. He struggled to keep his voice steady, his eyes sincere and even faintly pleading. "I know this might be a little sudden, and a little strange... but could you give me a hug? One... that lasts a little longer."
Afraid she would misunderstand, he hurried to explain, his voice a little dry with nerves. "I don't have any bad intentions! It's just... I just feel that, in this cold and dangerous world, sometimes a real hug can give someone a lot of strength and courage.
"I... I need a little strength."
That was half true and half false.
He truly did need strength, but not to withstand the bitter cold of the apocalypse. He needed it to pry open that mysterious door called a "Path."
Castorice froze.
She looked into Luo Li's eyes, which seemed particularly bright in the dim light. They held a complex longing she could not fully understand, along with a barely perceptible trace of vulnerability.
She remembered the meticulous care Luo Li had given her during this time, the risks he had taken to resolve her identity problem, his patient lessons about everything in this unfamiliar world...
Just... a hug?
In the Amphoreus she knew, physical contact often came with strict etiquette or... the threat of death.
But here, beside this person, touch had long since ceased to be forbidden. Instead, it carried a reassuring warmth.
He looked... like he really needed it.
Castorice lowered her eyes slightly, her long lashes trembling a few times like butterfly wings.
Then she raised her arms and gently, a little tentatively, wrapped them around Luo Li's waist, carefully resting her cheek on his shoulder.
"If... this can give you strength."
Her voice was so soft that it almost melted into the night breeze outside, yet it reached Luo Li's ears clearly, like heavenly music.
Once again, he held her warm, soft, fragrant body in his arms.
This time, it was no accidental stumble, but a willing response she had made with full awareness.
Luo Li's body first went rigid, then immense joy swept through him like a tsunami.
His hands almost trembled as he reached out and returned the girl's embrace, carefully yet with absolute firmness.
Her body was soft, carrying a distinctive cool fragrance and a trace of warmth, so slender that it stirred a tender concern.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Luo Li frantically counted the seconds in his head. He could feel Castorice gradually relax from her initial slight stiffness, and could even hear her light, gentle breaths brushing past the side of his neck, bringing waves of faint, tingling ticklishness.
Her cheek rested against his shoulder, its warmth passing through the thin fabric to soothe his wildly pounding heart.
[Intimate embrace in progress: 6 seconds... 7 seconds... 8 seconds...]
Time had never been so slow, yet so fast.
[9 seconds... 10 seconds!] [Ding! Path awakening prerequisite (2): complete at least one intimate embrace lasting more than 10 seconds with the target, "Castorice"-fulfilled!]
It worked!
Luo Li cried out inwardly, almost weeping with joy.
But he forced himself to hold it in, his arms still wrapped securely around Castorice as he savored this hard-won tenderness that lasted beyond ten seconds.
He felt Castorice seem to shift slightly, but she did not pull away.
Only after a few more seconds did she ask softly, her voice muffled against his shoulder and tinged with shyness, "...Was that enough? Luo Li."
"Mm... that was enough."
Luo Li's voice was a little hoarse. Reluctantly, he loosened his arms with extreme slowness.
They drew apart, an indescribable romantic tension and warmth filling the air.
A lovely blush colored Castorice's cheeks. Her gaze wavered, not daring to meet Luo Li's eyes, and she merely lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes.
Seeing her like this, Luo Li's heart melted completely, and courage and impulse welled up in him again.
He took a deep breath and looked at her with a burning gaze. "Castorice, I have one last... presumptuous request."
He paused, speaking with the most sincere tone he had ever mustered in his life. "I... I want to try making some changes, to gain some new strength, so I can better... protect the people I want to protect.
"This might take a little luck, and also... your blessing. Could you... give me your blessing? Just something from the heart."
This was the closest request he could think of to a "heartfelt blessing freely offered."
He did not dare make it too explicit, and could only pin his hopes on Castorice's perceptiveness and... the bond between them that continued to deepen.
Castorice raised her head and met Luo Li's eyes, filled with longing, tension, and utter seriousness.
Protect... the people he wanted to protect?
She remembered everything he had done for her, how he seemed to be lying flat yet actually took life more seriously than anyone, and the unquestionable warmth and strength of his embrace just now.
She did not know exactly what Luo Li intended to do, but she could feel his urgent, sincere intentions.
She tilted her head slightly, a soft light flowing through her amethyst eyes. Then she gently raised a hand, palm upward, as though holding something invisible, and extended it toward Luo Li.
A faint, pure smile curved her lips, and her ethereal voice rang out clearly, carrying a strange power. "Luo Li, I give you my blessing."
"May the starlight of Amphoreus guide your way forward;"
"May the tranquility of the River of Souls soothe the turbulence along your journey;"
"May the strength you seek shine with your own radiance, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon;"
"May your wish... come true."
The instant her words fell, Luo Li seemed to see tiny, almost imperceptible blue particles of light, like fragments of butterfly wings, rise from Castorice's palm before quietly vanishing into the air.
[Ding! Path awakening prerequisite (3): receive a heartfelt blessing or acknowledgment freely offered by the target, "Castorice"-fulfilled!] [All prerequisites fulfilled! Strong intent and compatibility detected in the host. Beginning to channel the power of the Path of "Remembrance" into the host...] [Warning: the awakening process will consume substantial mental and physical energy. Host, please focus your consciousness and accept the incoming torrent of "Remembrance"!]
Here it comes!
Luo Li felt an indescribable torrent of information, vast and icy, suddenly surge into his mind.
Countless fragmented images, chaotic voices, obliterated emotions, the dust of forgotten history... every concept related to "Remembrance" was forcibly crammed into his consciousness.
He let out a muffled groan, his body staggering uncontrollably. Fine beads of cold sweat instantly formed at his temples, and his face turned pale.
"Luo Li?!"